Obligation
Obligations are amazing for players, they provide a title and narrative description for the character which they are to play in Star Wars. They are able to come up with whatever they want from the Character’s Background and give him additional depth that can be used as a mechanic for the Edge of the Empire system. Starting Obligations are done in a specific way that allows a character to determine what he is out in the Galaxy for, and how deep he is in for. However, this does not deeply hurt you, because a character can reduce his Obligation score in order to help him with reduce the fire cooking him. There is a table that is provided on how much a starting party’s Obligation total should be: * 2 Players → 20 Obligation * 3 Players → 15 Obligation * 4 Players → 10 Obligation * 5 Players → 10 Obligation * 6+ Players → 5 Obligation This allows a specific character to be highlighted in order to have an adventure start to pay back a debt, provide a favor, or cut a break for a character who is undergoing the stress of the Obligation. +5 Obligation → 500 Credits or +5 Experience +10 Obligation → 1,000 Credits or +10 Experience Here are some Obligation types which are commonly used: * Addiction – Without feeding this addiction, the character becomes less and less focused on the task he is attempting to accomplish. * Betrayal – There are two ways to think of this, one is your character was betrayed, or your character betrayed others. In both senarios, typically it is common for the target of the betrayal to seek answers, compensation, or vengeance. * Blackmail – Somebody discovered one of your character’s dirty secrets and uses it to control your character for personal gain. This typically involves money (which may be use to be concurrent to Debt) or favors (which may be concurrent to Favor). * Bounty – Simply put, your character is wanted! This reason is up to the player, the price of the Bounty and how often it is encountered is determined by the Obligation size. * Criminal – The character is a criminal, he has a criminal record or he was accused of a crime (perhaps even one he did not commit!), and he is embroiled into the legal system (which system is determined by the player). * Debt – You owe a debt to somebody who has a lot of money, and you owe them a lot of money. Typically Loan Sharks are famous for placing people in Debt, however, how he got the debt is entirely up to the player. Like Han Solo, he owes Jabba for dumping expensive spice out of his Millennium Falcon. Now Jabba threatens to take his ship or have him work off his time (carbonite). * Dutybound – This means the character feels compelled (the strength of the complusion is determined by the Obligation) to a cause. Such as military service, following a code, and so forth. Unlike the Oath Obligation, a Dutybound character has some sort of legal or ritualistic compulsion which binds him to his Obligation, the reason is left to the player. * Family – This character has deep ties with his family which require a great deal of time and attention. This may include providing financial assistance (how much is determined by the Obligation), a family business, or protecting his family as some sort of secret witness trouble. * Favor – The character owes a huge favor to somebody the character knows. Perhaps officials looked the other way in exchange for something more important, or a friend who busted your character out of prison (which could be concurrent with Debt and/or Bounty). This size and extreme conditions of the favor rely on the Obligation. * Oath – The character has sworn an oath to himself or somebody which dictates his thoughts ad actions, shaping his moral view of the world. This could be to a deity, a way of life (like the Jedi or Sith code), or a willingness to sacrifice for the betterment of some group or cause. This oath should be serious and make life difficult in some ways for the character. It is personal, and is a deep undertaking, possibly without a truly obtainable end goal in sight. Characters who do not live up to this oath face an internal and moral struggle. * Obsession – The character has some sort of unhealthy obsession that tends to interfere on his life, whether with a celebrity, a region, a political movement, a cultural icon, or some other facet of society or life. He must pursue this, possibly to the detriment of his health, finances, or well being. * Responsibility – A character with the Responsibility Obligation feels a strong sense of accountability or relationship to a person, place, or thing (a responsibility to kin falls under the Family Obligation described above). This could be a strong connection to a mentor, a strong desire to care for orphans in a given location, or taking on the needs of an under-represented minority.